Divine Retribution
by Hasty Hastings
Summary: "It should be the happiest time in her life. But, how can it be when she's being stalked by another psycho killer?" A's back six years later for revenge. Oddly enough, only Aria's paying the price.
1. Begin

**Author's Note: **I've been thinking of writing this story for a while now. I know where I want it to go, but I'm not sure if I'm willing to take it there. Therefore, if this is a story that you'd like to see more of, feel free to let me know, because I'd love to continue this. Considering this is the prologue, I will continue, but I need to know what you think! Happy reading, lovies!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own or have anything to do with the _Pretty Little Liars _franchise. I've met Sara Shepard (wonderful! Simply amazing woman!), but that's as far as that goes. I'll just leave it all to Sara and Marlene, they haven't disappointed me yet.

_Prologue_

-:-

"Candlelight, she adores candles and candlelight. It also sets the perfect mood for anything intimate, and that's the way it was in the _FRIENDS _episode." Hanna rambled through the receiver.

Ezra chuckled slightly, looking around the apartment he and his girlfriend, Aria shared. A display of candles, 47 as Spencer had so meticulously counted, set the dim room aglow with their lively flames."Candles, got it. Anything else you'd like to remember before you called me for the eighth time? Because she'll be here soon and I'd like to be sane when she walks in."

"Uh...nothing I can think of. Just, don't choke, or make anything too corny. No one likes a corny proposal."

"Aria loves anything corny, as long as it's from me," he chuckled "Now I seriously have to go- one of the candles is melting the frame holding Aria's favorite picture of us. Thank you for all the help, Han, and thank Em and Spencer as well."

"Alright, I will."

Hanna, Emily and Spencer had been secretly planning this proposal for weeks. It had all started when a re-run of friends came on while they were in bed, and Aria commented nonchalantly about how romantic and unexpected it was when Chandler found Monica in their apartment with the candles everywhere, ready to propose. Almost instantly, he took the hint. Or what he supposed had been a hint. As Hanna had told him that he would 'know the hint as soon as it rolled off her tongue.' The next day, he found himself sitting on one of the many couches in Starbucks with the three girls, revealing the proposal idea.

_Flashback_

_Hanna was still groggy. Most likely from a long night of love making with Caleb. She nearly nodded off as soon as she sat down in the chair opposite Ezra. Spencer was just as crusty-eyed as Hanna, if not more. She gulped down her venti mocha she was holding in one arm while simultaneously rocking seven month old Phoebe Cavanaugh with her other. Emily however, had been bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, hair in a damp pony tail from a morning round of laps. _

"_You have to recreate it," Emily had insisted, taking a long slurp of her frappucino. _

_Ezra sheepishly looked down to his lap, fiddling with the cardboard around his cup. "No, you can't out-do the Mondler proposal. It has to be the exact one. Aria would die!" Hanna exclaimed a little too loud for just the four of them to hear. Everyone in the cafe shot her odd looks. She hung her head, "You know what I meant..."_

_Spencer set Phoebe gently back into her carrier, sitting back and lifting her legs to where she was sitting on top of them in the chair "Well, you should at least make her her favorite meal. Cook her something familiar, possibly something from one of your favorite dates. And, yeah, I agree with the candles. Set the mood so it's not awkward when you spring it on her." Ezra looked up at Spencer._

"_Who said I'd spring it on her, I think I'm capable of romantic timing," he stated "and this is Aria we're talking about, I don't want it to be too run-of-the mill for her, she deserves to be swept off her feet."_

_And with that, the night was set. He was going to sweep her off her feet and then live happily ever after._

Ezra said his goodbyes to Hanna and Caleb, hit the end call button and tossed the phone in a kitchen drawer, shutting it. There was too much to be done before Aria got there. The French take-out was warm in the oven and B26 was queued on the stereo. It was going to go off without a hitch. He was going to propose.

…And then it hit him, he hadn't thought to ask for Ella and Byron's blessing. _Shit._

Ezra hesitated, pulling the phone back out of the drawer and powering it up again. He started to dial their home number, then paused. It wasn't like back when Aria was in high school, they'd become better acquainted over the years, he'd even began to bond with Mike over some stuff. But it also wasn't like they didn't like to imagine their only daughter with someone her age, who they had trusted her to date either.

Knowing it was better to get it over with, he finished dialing the number on the keypad, taking a few deep breaths before pressing the call button.

_One ring_

_Two rings_

_Three ri-_

"Aria?" Ella's voice answered him.

"Ah, nope. Ezra," He nervously replied.

He heard soft chuckling at from the other end, wondering if it was a good sign or not. "How are you, Ezra?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm doing very well, thank you for asking, Mrs. Montgomery. And how are you on this lovely day?" there was a desperately awkward silence to follow, Ezra curse himself for his lame reply.

Ella was the one to break it, "My you're awfully polite this evening, and very straight forward. If you're calling about what I think you are, I'll hand the phone over to Byron," his heart sank. "But, if it's any consolation, you have a yes from me."

He felt a little better about her American Idol-esque answer, but she was the Paula Abdul in this whole situation, and he needed Simon's answer more. Suddenly there was static caused by the movement of the phone. Another short silence. "Ezra? What can I do for you?"

"You might already have me figured out, so I'll just get to it-"

"You want my permission to ask my daughter to marry you. Am I right?" Ezra choked on his own breath.

"So, what gave it away? My inability to complete a sentence without stuttering?" he chuckled, even more nervous than before. Byron joined in the laugh.

"No, Ella's already writing the announcement for the paper." Ezra gave an enormous sigh of relief. "U, I guess this is where I remind you how I feel about the two of you being together, but I don't have much to say except that I'm very happy that she found someone who can love her as much as I."

Ezra grinned, reaching up and putting a hand to his forehead in elating relief. "So, that's a yes?"

Byron sighed, giving one last laugh, "Absolutely, welcome to the family, Ezra."

-:-

Ezra eyed the bottle of Jack Daniels on the liquor shelf, wondering whether a few shots would calm his nerves. He could celebrate the approval of Byron, then again, he's not his smartest when he's buzzed. Thankfully, he decided against it, knowing it would only make the situation worse. After all, you only get one chance for a proper proposal.

He paced nervously back and forth, the black velvet material of the ring box burning a hole in his pocket. Should he get down on one knee, reenact the whole scene? Maybe he should just cut to the chase, not beat around the bush of obviousness, like he had with her parents. Would she even say yes? All the thoughts running through his brain were starting to clutter it until it was completely stuck.

The jingle of her keys in the lock shook him harshly, leaving his feet glued to the middle of the apartment floor. He heard the creak of the front door down the hall. Holy shit, she's early.

-:-

Aria dropped her keys into the bowl on the decorative table next to the coat closet. She sounded eager, kicking her heels off and shoving them with one foot under the table. It was unnervingly quiet in their apartment. Usually when she got home, she could here him typing up lessons on the laptop or the television would be on in his office. Tonight it was just...quiet.

She took in a deep breath, "Babe? Ezra, where are you?" She called before rounding the corner, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the sight before her. "Oh, my God."

"Aria," he began from his position, down on one knee "When I was twenty-two, I had my heart broken. No, I had my heart pulled out of my chest, torn to pieces and stomped on. And I never thought that I'd ever be able to feel the same again. I thought I could never be me again, or that I'd ever be able to give someone love, better yet get any back. I was dead inside. And then one day, I skipped town to apply for a job. When I got it, it felt like maybe a little piece of me was handed back. Yes, I was still absolutely shattered, but it gave me a little hope. And I hadn't thought I'd ever get that. But then, one humid night in September, I took myself out for a drink, maybe see if I could pick a girl up. Low and behold, the most beautiful girl ended up sitting just a few stools away." By now, Aria was in tears. "...and this girl, okay you, turned out to be the light at the end of the tunnel. The hope that I needed to put myself back together. You put my heart back together, ever so carefully, and with many difficulties, but you did. And I know that my life would never be the same without you."

He reached for her hands, "You are...it, for me, Aria. My everything. I would be nowhere without you," he tried to ignore the unsettling look on Aria's face, so he went on "You are my sun, stars, moon and world. And I will do my very best to love you for the rest of time, if you'll have me. So, Aria Marie, would you do me the immense honor of being my wife?" he closed his eyes tightly, reaching inside the pocket for the ring box. He'd wanted to wait until she said yes to open it.

A sob erupted from Aria's mouth, which caught him off guard. It wasn't a good sob.

"Someone wants to produce my screenplay!" she cried.

She was now sobbing harshly, shaking her head and sending mixed signals every which way. This obviously wasn't a good sign.

There wasn't much he could think to do but get up off the floor and comfort her, "That's amazing, babe! I'm so proud of you," she wasn't growing any happier with this. He backed away, cupping her face in his hands, "What's...what's wrong, baby?"

"I accepted the offer, and I'm so happy, but..." she took another breath "I have to leave, for England. Tonight." she continued, her body wracking up and down in loud sobs. "I want to marry you! So much, I really do. But, this opportunity...it changes things. I'm just not sure it's the right time. I mean-"

"You should go," he said, surprising himself by this statement. Aria began to pull away, muttering an "okay."

Stopping her from leaving, Ezra pulled her back in, "To England, I think you should take this offer, and go. It's your dream, Aria."

"You're my dream," she whimpered.

He kissed the top of her head dearly, letting his now flowing tears fall on top of her dark waves, "I'll always be right here, waiting. I'm not going anywhere."

She buried her face in his shoulder, still shaky, "But, your proposal, I want to marry you." She lifted her head from his shoulder and tenderly reached for his face, lowering it down to hers and kissing him hungrily, taking in his scent, the way it felt as he moaned through the kiss, the way their eyes met half way through.

Ezra finally pulled away after a minute of nearly making out, "Is this a yes?" He asked, deviously. She laughed a little at this, and a whole planet's worth of a load was lifted off of his shoulders.

She looks up at my, wiping her eyes. "Oh, this is a hell yes!"

He pulled her into an embrace, squeezing her tightly. "I'll never let you go."

Seconds later, Aria's phone beeped, pulling their hug apart. Sighing, she opened the message, expecting it to be Hanna, but she was in for a little bigger than that...

_Awe, I hear church bells ringing! Congrats, bitch._

_You better hope they're for a wedding and not for a funeral. _

_-A_

**Love it? Hate it? Need more? Leave a review and tell me what you'd like to see happen in this story, and where you'd like it to go!**

**XO,**

**Tay.**


	2. You put your arms around me and I'm home

"_**You put your arms around me and I'm home..."**_

Thunder rumbled angrily through the Pennsylvania skyline, lightning cracked in jagged bolts on the ground of the outskirts of town. It had been an insidiously quiet evening in Philadelphia as the storm had provided much of an ominous atmosphere.

However, the pitter patter of the raindrops as they sloshed over the roof of Ezra's sedan gave him eager chills as he drove through the fairly light parking garage of Philadelphia International Airport. He didn't care that it was 98 degrees outside, in the heart of July, or that his windows were all foggy from the storm. The humidity had woven his chocolate locks into short, wispy curls, and he had yet to comb through them. All that mattered was that he was going to see the love of his life in a matter of an hour.

Swallowing a yawn, he traipsed into the building. He stopped to check the arrival stats. A pang of disappointment hit him when he saw that her plane had been later than expected. Because of the storm, no doubt. And suddenly, the night had traveled from amazing and scheduled, to awry. _Could be worse, _he thought. Slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Ezra sighed and cursed his less than brilliant plan to arrive ahead of schedule. Two months was too long to be across the pond alone.

Aria had been working abroad, in London, on the film she'd written with her team of fellow screen-writers. The twenty-three year old met her crew in college, at NYU. They weren't exactly her go-to friends, but they certainly worked well together all things considering. They'd written and produced many scripts and short films through college, but nothing anyone was aware of. As the group celebrated their fifth year of collaboration, they were given the news that their latest and greatest screenplay had been handed into the arms of a big indie movie production company. And thus, the journey began to finish what they started.

Unfortunately, Ezra's job at the University of Pennsylvania had left him bolted to his desk and professorial responsibilities. Luckily, he was on tenure and though it was a struggle to decide whether or not she go to England, Ezra hadn't been too somber about staying home. He enjoyed his time to himself, knowing that the second Aria arrived back home, to him, they'd be attached at the hip all the time. Thankfully, he assumed that the girls would steal her away to work on some wedding detail that he didn't even know had anything to do with a wedding in the first place, and he was completely ok with that.

As he took a seat on the grimy bench near the gate, Ezra sat back and got situated. He took the velvet box out of his pocket, remembering that he needed to give the ring to Aria before he was pick pocketed. It had taken him about 25 minutes after the production company's car had whisked her away before he realized that he hadn't actually given her the ring.

Sighing contently, he prodded it open. It opened with a 'pop' and the diamond sparkled almost instantly, glinting off the silver paneling on the payphone behind him.

"Quite the diamond you have there, son. Are you going to propose?" a scrawny old man with wispy, white hair and sporting a cane asked from the bench in front of him. Ezra's head shot up.

"I, um, already proposed." the man gave a him an apologetic look.

"Well, if you keep chasing her everywhere, you're not going to get anywhere." the man informed him. Ezra let out a small laugh, closing the box.

"No, I just didn't have the ring when I asked. She got called on a business trip, and had I thought to pull it out of my pocket when she did accept, her offer was much too appealing for me to remember it."

The man smiled, "I never got the chance to introduce myself. The name's Herb. Herb Stanley. You may have heard of me. I own the butcher shop down the street, it's very popular."

Ezra obliged, awkwardly shaking his head "No, unfortunately we don't eat much meat. Only in my spare time do I indulge in a cheeseburger or two.." Herb scoffed at this "So she's one of those girls, I see," he replied jokingly.

"I don't know where you got that much, but yes, she's a Vegan. And I have learned to accept that I might never eat a normal meal again." Ezra said, fiddling with the velvet box. "But I don't care. As long as she's the reason, I'll do absolutely anything."

The man gave him an elderly chuckle and smiled, seeming to notice something behind Ezra, "Let me guess, she's a pretty brunette that is short enough to be in sixth grade, with the biggest, most beautiful bambi eyes you've ever seen?" Ezra looked a little taken aback at this, but decided the man was a little too old to be any kind of competition.

He sat up on the bench, licking his lips at the thought of Aria's dough eyes and striking features. "You know her, or something? Because that description was pretty impressive. Spot on, actually." he shuddered.

"No, you ninny," Herb shook his head in shame, "she's right there!" he pointed behind Ezra, waving at Aria before lowering his finger to in front of him.

Ezra hastily stood up immediately, turning around to see the Herb's beautiful, picturesque description walking tiredly towards him. A gleaming smile stared back at him, Aria suddenly dropped her carry-on bag and took off, her polite walk turned into a sprint. Once close enough, she launched into Ezra's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and attacking his lips with hers.

"I've missed you. So much." Aria mumbled against his lips. She giggled through the kiss, squealing a little as she let him spin her around. "And I can't wait to marry you!" Ezra felt tingles shoot through his entire body, just by knowing she hadn't forgotten about the proposal she had accepted. Soon, he lowered her onto the ground again, their lips still smashed together. They finally pulled away after a few minutes for a proper chance to catch their breath. "Not nearly as much as I've missed you," he replied, "Please, never leave again. Two months is way too long to be apart."

She smiled at his remark, slinking an arm around his waist when he returned from retrieving her carry on she'd left for dead upon spotting him. He sighed contently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

Ezra stopped back at the benches, just next to Herb. "Aria, I'd like you to meet Herb Stanley," he gestured to Herb, who sat with a jolly grin spread across his face. "Nice to finally meet you, Aria. Your fiancee has told me lots about you," Herb hesitated "Well, he's only told me so much. It's only been ten minutes or so. However, sometimes ten minutes is all you need." Aria chuckled.

Reaching a hand out, Aria shook the elderly man's own, "I hope you've only heard the good things." she eyed Ezra, who pretended not to notice, staring at anything but her face. "I can't imagine anything bad. Other than the upsetting fact that you're a Veghead." Herb stated with a hearty laugh to follow.

Embarrassed, Aria smiled back as much as she could without looking too guilty. "I mean, I used to be Vegan, but it's terribly hard to keep that diet while you're broke in college. But, I guess you can still consider me...that." she finished awkwardly.

Ezra heaved an inward sigh as Herb continued to charm, and turn off, his fiancee. He decided that enough chummy time had been wasted and that Aria's luggage could only rotate on the claim carousel so long before some Kleptomaniac with a tasteful eye for Louis Vuitton duffel bags would spot it. He soon sensed an awkward silence between the two before him and took this as a sign that it was time to go.

Bidding goodbye to Herb, he took Aria's hand in his, to which she gave a loving and reassuring squeeze, and they were off.

Soon after collecting the remains of Aria's things, the pair was finally back at their apartment. To Aria's pleasant surprise, candles were light dimly, ambiance was definitely factored into her arrival.

"Babe, is this all for me?" she questioned, setting her share of bags in the romantic den.

Coming up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waste, Ezra spoke, "No, Toby's coming over later to play Poker."

"What?"

"Kidding," he chuckled softly, letting his hot breath roll down her neck as he placed tender kisses upon it. "Of course it's all for you, can I not be romantic tonight? After all, we've been apart for _forever_." he stretched the truth. "I think we deserve a little romance."

At this, Aria gasped, "Mind you, it wasn't forever. Remember that you did make a three day visit over my birthday weekend, and that alone gives you major relationship points!" she reminded him. "You are the best fiancee I've ever had!"

"And hopefully, I'll be the only." he mumbled. Aria turned to face him, taking his chin between her thumb and index finger.

"Hey," she challenged, letting his eyes focus upon her own "You are the only one for me. No matter what anyone says, anyone. Do you hear me? You're my guy, and nothing anyone or anything says can change that, okay? You're mine." she followed her little speech with a small grin, placing ticklish kissed on his nose and face.

"I hear you, I hear you." he smiled, rubbing the lipgloss off his cheeks best he could. "Now, let's see what the bedroom has in store, shall we?" He asks, picking her up bridal style and carrying her into their bedroom, despite her giggles and oppositions.

Needless to say, the rest of the night was complete bliss. Once light beamed through the thin curtains of their windows, the ambiance quickly faded.

Aria groggily sat up at the signal of her phone beeping. Rubbing her eyes, she hastily searched for the cellular device, finally finding it on her dresser top. An ominous feeling sank in her stomach as she read the text, again from the blocked number.

_Looks like you're a little liar once more, Aria._

_Once a cheater, always a cheater, right?_

_Happy Morning-After!_

_-A_

Aria soon noticed the emoticon at the bottom of the text, telling her of a photo attachment. Opening the file, she gasped quitely, being careful not to wake Ezra. She looked around, making sure no one was watching her, she focused on the photo.

It was a candid image of Aria and upcoming actor George Stonefield engaging in a flirtacious liplock out front of a boutique in London, where she had been filming her debut screenplay in which George was the lead male.

She tensed when she heard her once asleep partner stir. Suddenly, his morning breath cascaded from over her shoulder.

"Aria, who the hell is that?"

**OH MY GOD. I am the _worst _writer in the history of Fanfiction! I am so sorry for the gap between updates, I have been so busy. But, that's no excuse whatsoever. Again, I'm terribly sorry, but I won't tell you that I'm a frequent updater, either. I'm sorta suckish at this, but I'm determined to finish this story, you have my word. **

**Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I did leave a little cliffhanger, but I promise that I'm not one to always leave one at the end of every chapter, because we all know how boring that gets, LOL! Please review and favorite and such, every review is another little bit of motivation for me to write faster ;) **

**Happy PLL Day/Night! Let's hope Spencer cries for a reason that has nothing to do with Toby...unless she's, like, pregnant with his child! That I could handle, ha! Alright, I'll let go. Again, please review, and I will post as soon as I can!**

**XO,**

**Tay.**


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